86 replies to this topic

[Ren]

So, with the school year ended you'd think I'd be sitting back, relaxing and enjoying my holiday. Well for many reasons that's not occurring BUT I wanted to share with you a bit about what I DO do in the summer.

Now is the time to select music for next year's choir.

I teach a private choir outside of my regular teaching job, and it's part of a larger organization of three full choirs, young, middle level and high school. I teach the young choir. For those of you familiar with children's choirs, we base our literature and choral tone on the Toronto Children's Chorus, a la Benjamin Britten, etc. etc. etc.

Well, each summer I spend hours developing a concert program for the coming year that's both challenging for the students and stimulating for me - which can be a difficult task when some of the children are just reading full text on a page.

Last year one of our challenge pieces was Nine Hundred Miles by Silvey. It was a stretch harmonically since it divides into 4 parts and they shocked me by being able to pull of parts of the song I was a bit hesitant about. It's amazing how hard a choir can work when they thoroughly appreciate the beauty of a piece and its compositional structure.

I started a solfege class today with my co workers in the choir and we had GREAT conversation on what we'd like to include in our December concert. I was thoroughly pleased with the fact that they were in line with my thinking it was time for highlighting some children's choir/adult choir music from films/(books)!

So here's our start - if you have an idea to contribute, I'd be glad to throw it on the table:

Young Choir
Somewhere in My Memory (HA)
The Road Goes Ever On (by Pradell)

Middle Choir
Double Trouble (HP)

Young & Middle Combined
In Dreams (LOTR)

High School Choir
May it Be (LOTR)

Something for All the Choir's Combined?

I'll probably also add Good King Wenceslas for my choir

[Hlao-roo]

"Strike Up Pipers" from Much Ado About Nothing?

[stewdog1]

Duel of the Fates?

[KK.]

Try some of the stuff from Bruno Coulais' score for Les Choristes. There are some wonderful stuff to work with there for children choir.


(that was the a cappella version)


I don't know how challenging the french would be though.

And for high schools, Dry Your Tears Afrika is always a favourite (although arguably overplayed):

[Hlao-roo]

I think The Omen would be an inspired choice for a school choir.

[chuckster312]

Never Surrender/Arthur's Farewell is always a good workout for all involved. Or how about On Earth As It Is In Heaven by Morricone?

[Ren]

oh yeah I've programmed Les Choristes many times. Gorgeous stuff. It's sort of a rite of passage for my groups to do Les Choristes music they ask for it every year. I have In Memoriam pulled for grade 8.

Will look through the other things in a bit

Im familiar with Dry Your Tears but not The Omen

[Maglorfin]

Rutter's Mass of the Children is a wondrous piece, both to perform and to listen to.

[Ren]

Rutter's Mass of the Children is a wondrous piece, both to perform and to listen to.

;-) did it two years ago......

Love the Benedictus.

[Maglorfin]

Bent P. Holbech - Missa Rotna

Peter Schindler - Missa in Jazz

[Ren]

Thanks goin to look them up!

[Ren]

Love the morricone piece

[Quint]

Last year one of our challenge pieces was Nine Hundred Miles by Silvey.

Have you thought about the 'shorter' Proclaimers version?

[Williamsfan301]

Something for all the choir's combined?

Exultate Justi or Dry Your Tears, Afrika? I think the former, more than the latter, if the combined group is the last group up.

or

An easied up version of Hallelujah Chorus or something else from the Messiah?

[chuckster312]

Transformation from Brother Bear; it's awesome.

[Ren]

Not into messiah right now. Trying to stick with the movie thing. Which exultati are you speaking of?

[chuckster312]

Not into messiah right now. Trying to stick with the movie thing. Which exultati are you speaking of?

I think he meant from Empire of the Sun

[KK.]

oh yeah I've programmed Les Choristes many times. Gorgeous stuff. It's sort of a rite of passage for my groups to do Les Choristes music they ask for it every year. I have In Memoriam pulled for grade 8.

Nice. It's beautiful heartwarming stuff.

Will look through the other things in a bit

Im familiar with Dry Your Tears but not The Omen

He was joking (I hope), but if you really want your choir to go through with it, you're pretty much exercising devil worship my friend

Unfortunately, I've come to know all the lyrics by heart....does that make me a bad person?

And one question, are you getting your high school band or something to accompany your choir?

[chuckster312]

Actually here's the concert suite of The Omen:

[Quint]

Not sure if it's already been mentioned, but what about the hauntingly beautiful piece as heard at the end of Heavenly Creatures?

[BloodBoal]

You've got to include this!

[Maglorfin]

Here's a great piece by a young Slovenian composer I've performed with several youth choirs already, the last performance being only yesterday!

[Williamsfan301]

Not into messiah right now. Trying to stick with the movie thing. Which exultati are you speaking of?

The one JW wrote for Empire of the Sun. It's available. My wife is a choir director and one of her church choirs did it over the Easter season.

[Ren]

Not sure if it's already been mentioned, but what about the hauntingly beautiful piece as heard at the end of Heavenly Creatures?

Thanks, will look after I get home...

Not into messiah right now. Trying to stick with the movie thing. Which exultati are you speaking of?

The one JW wrote for Empire of the Sun. It's available. My wife is a choir director and one of her church choirs did it over the Easter season.

Will look when I get home!

[Quint]

Don't watch that video if you've still yet to see that special little film! MASSIVE spoiler of a very powerful moment.

[Ren]

I'll just listen

[Omen II]

Here are three random filmic suggestions from European composers: non nobis, Domine from Henry V (Patrick Doyle), libera me from Black Robe (Georges Delerue) and Here's To You from Sacco and Vanzetti (Ennio Morricone). I actually prefer the version of the latter with French lyrics.

[Quint]

I'll just listen

Just play this instead:



You probably already know the piece well anyway.

(I've just realised the original version I linked to was a stupid spoof reenactment thingy)

[Williamsfan301]

Not sure if it's already been mentioned, but what about the hauntingly beautiful piece as heard at the end of Heavenly Creatures?

Thanks, will look after I get home...

Not into messiah right now. Trying to stick with the movie thing. Which exultati are you speaking of?

The one JW wrote for Empire of the Sun. It's available. My wife is a choir director and one of her church choirs did it over the Easter season.

Will look when I get home!

It also has a part for djembe that you can get one of your kids to play. Pretty easy and, if you don't have a djembe, you can just do it on a snare drum with the snares turned off and played with hands instead of sticks.

[Pasi Tiitinen]

This should't be too hard...

[Ren]

Thank you everyone. I'm going to listen to these links once I get into bed. I'm very excited for this. No sexual innuendos boys...... ;-)

This should't be too hard...

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Not sure if it's already been mentioned, but what about the hauntingly beautiful piece as heard at the end of Heavenly Creatures?

Thanks, will look after I get home...

Not into messiah right now. Trying to stick with the movie thing. Which exultati are you speaking of?

The one JW wrote for Empire of the Sun. It's available. My wife is a choir director and one of her church choirs did it over the Easter season.

Will look when I get home!

It also has a part for djembe that you can get one of your kids to play. Pretty easy and, if you don't have a djembe, you can just do it on a snare drum with the snares turned off and played with hands instead of sticks.

We gots djembes!

I'll just listen

Just play this instead:



You probably already know the piece well anyway.

(I've just realised the original version I linked to was a stupid spoof reenactment thingy)

Just listened to this. This is a great piece for solfege. Wouldn't do it on concert with my choir but will write this out for warmups!

Here are three random filmic suggestions from European composers: non nobis, Domine from Henry V (Patrick Doyle), libera me from Black Robe (Georges Delerue) and Here's To You from Sacco and Vanzetti (Ennio Morricone). I actually prefer the version of the latter with French lyrics.

Non nobis is a keeper

Libera me is good will check with others. Here's to you not so much ....

Here's a great piece by a young Slovenian composer I've performed with several youth choirs already, the last performance being only yesterday!

I like this. Could you tell me a bit more about it? Its not from a film right?

You've got to include this!

YES BLOOD. I'm transcribing it now. All the choruses want it but obviously the boys whose voices have dropped get it!

[Quint]

Will you have to license this stuff or do schools not have to?

[Alexander]

You've got to include this!

Too bad it doesn't have the low voices at the beginning.

[Ren]

Will you have to license this stuff or do schools not have to?

Uhhhhhhh no ;-). If we were cutting a CD to sell en masse definitely

You've got to include this!

Too bad it doesn't have the low voices at the beginning.

Our choirs would never be able to do the low low stuff. It's absurd. ;-)

[BloodBoal]

Will you have to license this stuff or do schools not have to?

Uhhhhhhh no ;-). If we were cutting a CD to sell en masse definitely

You totally need to record a CD!

[Ren]

Lolol.

Seriously BB. This is my aspiration. One day I will be famous ;-)

We will have a Cd and I can share with you guys it's just not available for the world you know?

And you can ask me questions for an "interview"

[Wojo]

"Honorary member?" Good God, BB, this is your QUEEN!

[alicebrallice]

[BloodBoal]

"Honorary member?" Good God, BB, this is your QUEEN!

She may be a queen, but within JWFAN High Council, she's just an honorary member.

Within the council, you play by the rules, or the rules rule you out!

[Ren]

What rules am I to abide by to be a member of the high council ;-) lol

BB. You've been here since 2010?